Writing Prize winner Pandora Syperek
The Canadian Art Writing Prize is a national competition designed to encourage new writers on contemporary art. The jury—Canadian Art editor Richard Rhodes, Toronto critic Sarah Milroy and Calgary curator Wayne Baerwaldt, director of the Illingworth Kerr Gallery at the Alberta College of Art and Design—chose Syperek’s submission from a competitive field of 25 applicants.
“I heard about the Canadian Art Writing Prize as a subscriber to the magazine and through email bulletins and decided that I should apply,” says Syperek, who is currently undertaking a PhD in the history of art at University College London. “I hope that winning the prize will lead to more writing opportunities with relevant publications. It is a real honour to be recognized in this way and by a jury of such high calibre.”
Originally from Toronto, Syperek holds art history degrees from York University and Concordia University. Until recently, she coordinated the visual art residency program at the Banff Centre, and prior to that she worked in the curatorial department of the Walter Phillips Gallery, where she co-curated the exhibition “Radio Free Banff” with Naomi Potter. Previously, she worked as an educator at York University, a curatorial apprentice at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and a research assistant at Concordia University.
The two runners-up are Vancouver artist Deirdre McAdams and Montreal artist Vency Yun, who is researching her thesis exhibition in Marseille, France. Each runner-up will receive $1,000.
For more information about the Canadian Art Writing Prize, please visit canadianart.ca/writingprize.
